Air separator and filter



Feb. 17, v1942.

P. S. DICKEY ETAL AIR SEPARATOR AND FILTER- Filed Jan. 5, 1940 mxOO M QwHeS-.Pod

d n mm mm mm Snvenfors PAUL S. DICKEY CLARENCE JOHNSON ANDv reputed Feb; '17, 1942 Y UNIT-au STATI;

s i PATENT AoI-Flc-E samaa'ron AND m'ran I Paul S. Dickey; Shaker Heights. and Clarence Johnson.. Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignors to' Bailey Meter Company, a corporation of Dela- Application Jimmy 3,1940, .serial No. 312,212

Our invention relates to air lters or air clean- .ing devices of. the type adapted to be used in a .fluid pressure line supplying air for motive pur-` poses or otherwise, for extracting dirt and liquid therefrom.

Our invention is particularly adapted for use'in a iluid pressure line intermediate a pointsofuse.A

main reservoir vor compressor and the point'or An object-of our inventionis the provision-of a mechanical separator adapted to free the air from' liquid such as moisture or oil which may be carried thereby.

Another object is the provision of a strainer or dust and dirt collector i'n conjunction 'with said mechanical 'separator to additionally absorb entrained and suspended matter.

5 \in the base of the trap.

comme(v (cuss-75) inpingement of` incoming airand ifssubsequentreversal of ow. Some of the heavier and larger suspended matter. is thus left behind and is drained oflperiodically bymeans of drain cock 5 The cylinder 3 essentially consists of two. chambers or devices and generally designated as, first, themechanical separator and secondly, a

' lter of someabsorbent and straining or c1ean.

y A further object is the provision of a single device including the above mentioned objects.

These and other objects become apparent upon a sturdy ofthe attached drawing and description, where:

Fig. I representsa cross section of our sepal .rating and iiltering device..

v2 isV a-further representation of a lter '-device.

In- Fig. 1 we showin cross section our improved airseparating and iiltering device suitable for capacities offree air upvto ten cubic feet per ing material. Our invention is directed primarily to the mechanical separator and then to its combination with a lter. The materials used in the lter and the separator are rust resisting' metals, or metals that have been treated to resist rust.

The 'mechanical sepaator into which. the air from the trap enters by means of pipe I consists of a substantially cylindrical member 6 having an integral closed top and a ared. ange on the other end and a bell-like member 1 superimposed upon each other, the sides of `.the bell I flaring out at a certainangle I'o join the inside wall of cylin-` der?. .The cylindrical member 6 is' bolted to the minute. For greater capacities a similarly larger device is necessary... Air .coming-v from a reservoir fed by a compressor or from a compresser itself u sual1yhas suspended in itsinwater. The oil 'ispicked up in the compressor 1 while the'wate'r may be from moisture laden air iinitesimal globules 'of oil and-sometimes .of

taken in by the compressor. AEither ofthe men-` tione'd liquids prove harmful to control systems l using air containing them resulting in a rusting action' of the control devices Vor occluding and gumming of sensitive parts of a control system'.

thereby preventing their operation or making itA sluggish and inaccurate.

The device'of Fig. lis designed to clean the. air

Vof suspended liquids and solids. f The air to be cleaned is ilrst fed through a trap composedof inlet pipe 'I and cylindrical chamber 2.= *The trap is welded to the base of a'large enclosed cylinder 3 having its inlet though-the'trap and exit '.Il 'at its upper end. Cylinder 3 alsoconf our mechanical separator and additional liquid and 'dust absorbing means. Q A conduit ccnll nection 4V permits the flow ofair from the trapV l `into cylinder I: This connection extends som'ewhat below the horizontal trap inlet I and di-Y the inletopening causing an'initial Abase of cylinder 3 directly above and centrally .positioned'or the opening of conduit 4 and has a .plurality of apertures or oriiices Il circularly is formed by the flared wall of bell 1 and cylin-` drical member 6 andinto which the incoming- .air expands. Exits I4 are provided from cham- `bei' B' andv consist of a plurality of-short conduits ilared at their inner ends to-precent any liquid ironi owing into them. A drain cock I5 is provided f or periodically draining this cham- 4ber of any accumulated-liquid.

` On vtap-ofbell 'I rests a-"pervforated circular partitionb IS substantially the sizeof the interior 'of cylinder I.. This partition in effect separates the upper illter portion of cylinder 3 from the lower or mechanical separator portion. On this v partition rests a layer ofvfelt material I1 and on top of it a layer of bronze wool, then a substantial depth of activated coke such as Nuchar,

another layer of bronze wool, and lastly another felt layer, held between two bronze or'monel In this. mienne prevents any activated cokev from dropping below partition 4Il. -The bronze wool will .take out any.

pori-loathe first 1a`yer of feu-l entrained corrosive liquids or gases/while the I activated coke will readily absorb/any liquid that l ment, expansion and reversal lnds its way to the base' of chamber 2 whence Vit is periodicallydrained off by valve 5.

The air again expands `into cylinder 6 and any velocity it acquired as a result of iowing through vthe constriction 4 is lost upon expansion. The' oriiices'li in. cylinder Ii divide the' air from the bell chamber into ai plurality of jets, each jet impinging the interior surface of the bell 'I leaving. thereon the greater portion of entrained liq1 .uid it may have had, and which liquid collects .to wet or lm the walls ofjchamber A thence following the walls of chamber B to accumulate at the base of cylinder 3 andto be drained oi. However. the iiowing liquid, because of the closeness of the bellwalls, will be thereby retarded, forming/ a restricted passagebetween wetted walls and through which the air must lflow. The inner wall of the bellV I and the outer wall of .the cylinder b are in fact so close together between chambers A and B that a liquid iilm may substantially close the passage. The result is'that the air vhas in many instances to pass through a pool v,of the liquid, or toeilow in an extremely thin lm between the close vwetted walls. This further causes the air to yield more of its carried liquid. The jets and the condensing chamber Afcause an increase in velocity .of the stream of air and this velocity is again reduced when the air expands into chamber B. From chamber B airl escapes by means of exits I4 to ow upwardly through the perforated plate I6 and through the iiltering material to the exit I8.

It must be appreciated that a definite treat-- ment of the air stream takes place during its fiow 'path through our mechanical separator. We repeatedly cause a reversal of iiow, an expansion iand contraction of the air stream, division into aplurality of streams, impingement, .change in velocity. and also forcing its flow through a very thin annular pool of extracted liquid. The posiftions and sizes of expanding chambers, the nurninto the interior oi cylinder 24 wherein it is further expanded. l

In'the'top oi cylinder 24 there'are-a plurality v of orinces 25 which divide the air stream into a plurality of jets impinging an'obstructing wall oi condensing chamber Drormedby the cylinder 24 and bell 26. The impingement of these several jets on the' facing wall cause a release of entrained liquid which merges and vilows outwardly to be slightly retarded by the closeness oi the bell walls, the clearance determined therebetween by dimples 21.1'rne unined'air from the chamber must-ilow through the annular pool of retarded liquid and thereby yield a further through 'an external `reducing valve. next passed through a mechanical separator, the

ber oi orliices for air stream division, the degree of wall nare and the spacing of walls have been yall predetermined and perform a certain part in causing the air to yield-its entrained matter.

In Fig. 2 we show a similar l.device except as to capacity. Thevarious parts are 'of substantially the same'desiglsi except adapted to accommodate greater capacities of air. We show an enclosed cylinder ISA supported onlegs 31 and to which air under pressure is admitted to a iirst chamber Cor trap, through the curved inlet pipe I@ to impinge upon a base 2Ilhol`ing a cylinder inember 24 and arbell-like member- 26. Basen in this device is avb'uiltdn base forming chamber' C with the bottom of cylinder ISA as well as supporting members ,2l and 26. The air stream is caused to reverse itselfupon striking base 20 and expands into chamber C, its rvelocity being decreased. All freed matter due to the initial lmpingement collects-in 'the base of the chamber and is drained'therefrom by pipe 2I and drain vc'ocli: 22. The air from chamber C then'ows through the centrally positioned constriction 23 amount. The liquid then down the walls of cylinder 24 and bell 26 and through a small annular opening made between the ilared wall of bell 28 with base 20 where it accumulates to beperiodically drained oii by drain cock-26A.

as a means for winding thereon a metal screen' and on it a thicknessoi felt. Circular clamps 35 hold the felt and screen tightly to the anges. We use such nal iilter device' as 3 I in order that we may. utilize a side exit meansleaving the.

top of main cylinder iA free f or uses as ailixing thereon a yoke or hook means 36- facilitating transportation and positioning of the unit.

The eiectiveness and elciency of the arrange: ments described rests upon a, combination of me chanical separation and filtering of oil, water, dirt, etc. from the air. The mechanical separator combines changes in direction of iiow, changes in velocity and impingement; all of which aid in 'eective separation of liquid from the air.

In general, the air to be cleaned, iirst pases through a trap to remove any entrained moisture or oil precipitated by reduction in pressure The air is actioiibeing .to discharge the air in a number. of jets against a ilat surface, allow a reversal of ilow through a relativclylong opening of small width which condenses oil on the walls-enclosing the 0pening, and then breaks the walls away slowly enough so that condensed oil or water stays on the walls, draining toa sump. The air next receives a reversal in direction and passes through relativelylarge openings in -a/distributing baille which serves as a support vfor the ill- `tering material through which the air next passes.

Thuswe have disclosed an air straining device that is highly ecient and one 'readily applicable t0 any system needing clean air and while havying made reference to bronze wool, activated coke and felt as an additional straining and filtering l material it must be understood that, although we stated a preference therefor, any other com-l bination of materials capable of performing a similar function may be utilized. ."As to the me# in the art and that the` two forms disclosed are examples merely embodying the'principles which wdhereinaftenclaim. `We thereforedo not wish Air emerging from chamber D is expandedinto` Y chamber E, its velocity thereby decreased and it p then'ows out through exits 28 and upwardly to be limited otherwise than by the scope of the appended claims in view of prior art.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

I. In an air straining device for fluid pressure systems comprising in combination, a cylindrical casing, inlet means for said air under pressure to said casing, a trap for said air attached to the base of said casing, 4a substantially cylindrical member having closed top positioned above said trap and in said casing, a conduit joining said trap and said cylindrical member, a plurality of oricesdn said cylindrical member, a bell-like member its walls covering and partially clamping said cylindrical member, a condensing chamber formed by said cylindrical and bell-like members, said-orifices permitting entry of said air into said condensing chamber.

2. An -air straining device for uid pressure systems comprising in combination, a cylindrical casing, inlet means for air under pressure to said casing, a trap for said air, said trap attached to the base of said casing, a substantially cylindrical member having a closed top positioned above said trap and in said casing, a conduit joining said trap'and the interior of said cylindrical number, a plurality of orifices inthe top of said cylindrical member for dividing said air into a plurality of streams, a bell-like member covering said cylindrical member its walls partially clamping said cylindrical member thence angularly diverging,l

a condensing chamber formed4 by said cylindrical and bell-like members having said orices as air inlet means thereto, nipples in the side walls of said cylindrical member for maintaining apreg,

determined clearance between the walls of cylindrical and bell-like members permitting drainage therethrough, an annular expansion chamber 'for said air formed by said cylindrical and bell-like members and a plurality of exhaust ports in the diverging wall of said bell-like member.

jacent the center thereof to provide an inlet to said passageway.

4. An air cleaning device for removing sus pended foreign matter such as oil from compressed air, comprising, a substantially cylindrical member having a closed top, a lbell-like member having a similarly shaped closed top of slightly larger diameter and an outwardly flared skirt section, said bell-like member adapted to iit over said cylindrical member, an opening in the top of said cylindrical member for admitting compressed air between the exteriorl of the cylindrical member and the interior of the bell shaped member, and an opening in the skirt of said bell-like member for permitting the compressed air to escape from between the cylindrical and bell shaped members. 5. An air cleaning device'for removing for- I eign matter such as oil from compressed air,

comprising in combination, a cylindrical housing having a closed top and bottom, a hollow cylindrical member having an integral closed top and a flared flange at the other end adapted to engage the bottom of said housing, a bell-like member enveloping said cylindrical member and having an outwardly flared skirt, means substantially sealing the opening between the bottom of said skirt and the exterior wall of said cylindrical member, a plurality o f orifices in the top of said cylindrical member for permitting the entrance of the compressed air between the cylindrical and bell-shaped members, and a discharge nozzle in the skirt of said bell member for per- 3. An air cleaning device for removing entrained foreign matter such as oil from 'compressed air, comprising, a substantially cylindrical member having'a closed top, a bell-like member adapted to t over said cylindrical member, spac'- ing means for maintaining the top of said belllike member a predetermined distance from the top of said cylindrical member-to form a passagewayfor `the compressed air, and a plurality of oriflces in the top of said cylindrical member ad- 'mitting the escape of compressed air from the .space between said cylindrical and bell-shapedA members.

6. An air cleaning device for'removing oil from compressed air, comprJising a pair of elements having plane, parallel portions spaced apart a relatively small distance to forma thin passageway therebetween, an oriiice near the center of one of said plane portions for admitting air to said passageway'for flow radially outward between'said plane portions to gradually decrease the velocity of said air when passing between has attained its maximum velocity at the time of impingement. 4

PAUL S. DICKEY. CLARENCE JOHNSON.

a said plane portions, said plane portions being so' spaced that the air in passing through said orifice 

